Dr. Warren Naamara
Chair Person University Council & Government Representative
Dr. Warren Naamara is the Chairperson of MUST’s 7th Council which was inaugurated in July 2019. The University Council is the supreme organ of the University, responsible for the overall administration. Council ensures due implementation of the objectives and functions of the University is established in accordance with the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, 2001
Dr. Warren Naamara has previously served as the UNAIDS Country Director for Tanzania. A Ugandan Public Health Physician and Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist with well over 25 years experience working on HIV/AIDS prevention in East, Southern, Central and West Africa. He graduated from Makerere University Medical School, Uganda, started his career as a medical Officer in rural hospitals in Uganda in 1980; later moved to do research on STDs and HIV in the Kenya Medical Research institute (KEMRI) and then post Graduate at the Nairobi University Medical School.
In 1987 he moved back to Uganda as the National AIDS Control programme epidemiologist setting up all the epidemiological networks for surveillance and population surveys. Later on he became the Director of the Uganda National AIDS Control Programme in Uganda, a position in which he was the expert adviser to President Museveni on issues of HIV/AIDS prevention. In 1994 he joined FHI under the AIDSCAP Programme as the Resident Adviser in Zimbabwe on HIV/AIDS programmes.
After the war and genocide, he moved to Rwanda to work as the World Bank long Term Management expert adviser for restructuring and re-organizing the health services destroyed during the war including redevelopment of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Population management Programmes before joining UNAIDS in the same Country for a brief period in 2008. Dr. Naamara moved to Kenya as UNAIDS Country coordinator in Kenya for next 5 years after which he was transferred to Ghana for another 5 years. Subsequently he was reassigned to Nigeria in the same position and representing UNAIDS at the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja on a promotion to a Director level in UNAIDS for four years, before being assigned to Ethiopia in the same position.
Dr. Warren Naamara graduated from Makerere University Medical School in Uganda and later went to Nairobi University for infectious diseases training and a Master in Public Health. He has several publications in a number of peer reviewed journals and holds a number of management and other post graduate qualifications from the University of Toronto, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of California at San Francisco in the Center for Aids Prevention studies (CAPS) and University of Leicester UK.
Esq. Sarah Nyachwo Mwaka
Vice Chairperson Council and Chairperson Student Welfare and Disciplinary Committee
Dr. Stephens Kisaka
Chairperson, Legal, Rules and Privileges Committee and Government Representative
Dr. Stevens Kisaka is an educationist, decision scientist and consultant epidemiologist. He has served in higher education institutions, government departments, institutional capacity building programs and a multitude of engagements in various sub-Saharan Africa and Asian countries. He has vast experience in strategic curriculum development; policy formulation; institutional programing; as well as implementation of strategic public health responses national and international levels. Additionally, he has authored and co-authored a number articles in peer-reviewed journals in science; and higher education management and methodologies (orcid.org/0000-0001-7848-316X). Further, he has been involved in several initiatives that seek to build sustainable human and non-human capacities in regional Universities in line with the East African Community’s development agenda.
Dr. Kisaka is the Executive Director of Global Health Analytics Group (GHAG), a firm specializing in deploying quantitative techniques to inform decision-making at the institutional, population and individual levels. He is a Research Fellow at the University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID) in Kenya. He is also a faculty at Makerere University (Uganda).
Clare Nduuhura (Ms.)
Government Representative
Mrs. Agatha Catherine Achom
The Chairperson of the Finance Committee and Council Public Representative
A Certified Professional Accountant with vast experience in both Public, Donor and Private financial management and Corporate Governance. I have the ability to think strategically, understand financial management principles, communication effectively,demonstrate strong leadership skills, with a high level of integrity. I work effectively as part of a team with strong networking and mobilisation skills. I further have a sound understanding of corporate governance principles which I exercise with respectfulness, open mindedness and dependability to mitigate risks and promote institutional growth.
Dr. Henry Mwebesa
Government Representative
Mr. Hannington Ashaba
Chairperson Audit and Risk Committee and Government Representative
Eng.Denis Galabuzi Ssekandi
The Chairperson of the Estates and Works Committee and Council Public Representative
He is a registered and practicing civil engineer (Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers – Reg. No. PE/138; and Engineers Registration Board – ERB No. 1004) with experience spanning 18 years of Construction engineering and management; Structural engineering; & Project Management. He is a Consultant Engineer with the Ministry of Health, Government of Uganda. Previously, he served as a consultant engineer for the Ministry of Education and Sports overseeing construction projects implemented by the Belgian Embassy in Kampala and as a District Engineer for Sembabule District.
Prof. Celestino Obua
Vice Chancellor
The Vice Chancellor, of Mbarara University of Science and Technology and a Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics with a PhD in Pharmacology and a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (FUNAS). I am the MURTI Program Director, (D43TW010128 PI: Obua and its MADRI Supplement D43TW010128-04S1 PI: Obua on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias [AD/ADRD]) a program that has trained to date three cohorts of junior faculty at MUST in conducting research in mental health, CVD, neurology, HIV/AIDs and related morbidities (total of 21 junior faculty), and AD/ADRD research (12 fellows). I am also the PI of the “Health-professional Education Partnership Initiative – Transforming Ugandan Institutions Training Against HIV/AIDS” (HEPI-TUITAH) R25TW011210 PI: Obua and its supplement “Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Training (SHarPResT)” R25TW011210-04S1 both of which are currently running focused on training undergraduate students on prevention, care and research towards supplementing the national efforts in the fight against HIV, and promotion of sexual harassment in the research environment respectively.
Associate Prof. Charles Tushaboomwe Kazooba
Deputy Vice Chancellor F&A
Associate Professor Charles Tushabomwe-Kazooba (CTK) is the Pioneer University Bursar (UB), MUST from December 1990 to June 2000, outsourced from Makerere University, Kampala. He spearheaded the establishment of the Finance Department (FD) and the Internal Audit Department (IAD) of MUST. This involved the drafting of the initial accounting policies and procedures, internal audit manual, tender committee regulation, Chart of accounts, instituting best management procedures for financial management and control.
Prof. Nixon Kamukama
Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs
Professor Nixon Kamukama PhD is the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) since 2016. Nixon is a visiting Professor of Ankole Western University- Kabwohe Sheema. Nixon is the Board member of Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd (UEGCL) and chairs both Finance and Audit committee. He is also a board member of the Forensic and Computing Institute. Nixon also chairs the Board of MUST Centre of Innovation and Technology Transfer (CITT).
Hon. Dr. Medard Bitekyerezo
MUST Convocation Representative
Dr Bitekyerezo aka Biteks is a Ugandan Medical Doctor and legislator in Parliament of Uganda. Represents Mbarara Municipality. Has passion for good health and lives of people. Believes in honesty as a the best virtue! Cherishes family values, is a devoted Christian and married to one wife. Runs Mbarara Medical Specialists, clinic in his private time. Does some farming for side income. Currently is Chair Committee of Health of Parliament and is also active member of Committee on HIV/ AIDS and related matters.
Presently is a member of Governing Council of Bishop Stuart University Mbarara. A board member of AIDS Information Center AIC.
Associate Prof. Joseph Ngonzi
Senate Representative
Associate Professor of Obstetrician/Gynecologist at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. He is also the dean Faculty of Medicine.
Associate Prof. Grace Kagoro Rugunda, PhD
Senate Representative
Grace Kagoro Rugunda (PhD) is a professor of Resources’ Ecology at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda. She received her PhD from the same University and undertook a Post fellowship from Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife research in conjunction with the University of Hamburg, Germany, in which she collaborated with colleagues at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and wildlife research on a research project entitled Phytochemical and antimicrobial constituents of ethnobotanical plants eaten by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Kalinzu forest. She eventually earned her spot in the teaching and research supervision at the Department of Biology. She specializes in teaching invertebrate zoology, animal behaviour and natural resources ecology, management and conservation. She has also trained in QGIS and Cybertracker methods of data collection. Her fifteen-year career as a professor has enabled building up of other collaborations such as Vrije Universiteit Brussel on research projects Digital citizen-science for community-based resilient environmental management and improved mechanisms for climate change adaptation for sustainable food production for small scale farmers. Other universities collaborated with include Liebig University, Giessen for fresh water ecology with special emphasis on fresh water molluscs, University of Kassel on a research project of reducing postharvest losses and adding value in East African fruits and vegetables and the Royal Museum for central Africa on a project entitled “Action Towards Reducing Aquatic snail-borne Parasitic diseases and “Contribution to reducing the incidence of natural hazards and associated risks in the Albertine Rift, in DRC, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. In other different capacities, she serves such a member of the Advisory committee of the National Agricultural Research organization and the Regional Network for Conservation Educators of the Albertine Rift in Uganda. She has published relevant manuscripts on Natural resources’ ecology, climate change, Biodiversity management and conservation, fresh water ecology, medicinal plant antimicrobial activity, Parasite ecology of tropical neglected diseases’ hosts, Agri-ecology and postharvest handling.
Associate. Prof. Robert Bitariho
Academic Staff Representative
He is currently the director of the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation, a research Institute of Mbarara University of Science and Technology based in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. For the past 18 years, Robert has been carrying out research and training of post graduate students and other researchers majorly in environment sciences, natural resource management and wildlife conservation. He holds a PhD degree in Natural Resource Management. Robert is an accomplished researcher who has published in several international and high impact journals such as Science, Nature, Biotropica, Biological Conservation and others. His current google scholar citation index stands at 1,029 citations (h-index = 13, i10-index = 15). Robert is a recipient of the 2020 National Wildlife Research individual recognition Award by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. He was recently awarded a recognition award certificate by the Biotropica journal for the Top Cited Research Article for the period 2018-2019. He is a sports enthusiastic and likes to watch football, athletics and martial arts. During his University days, he participated in several athletics and Taekwondo competitions representing Makerere University.
Dr. Pius Ariho
Academic Staff Representative
Mr. Vicent Kwatampora-Principle Procurement Officer
Representative-Senior Administrators Forum
Heads the procurement and disposal unit for MUST. He formerly worked as a Senior Procurement Officer at National Water and Sewerage Corporation and Procurement Specialist at International Procurement Consultants.
Mr. Charles Kakuru
N U E I U Representative
His Worship Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi
Mbarara City Representative
Mr. Melchoir K. Byaruhanga
University Secretary/ Secretary to Council
Stella Dusabe Byarugaba(Ms)
PWD Representative
Mr. Ambrose Mulangira
External Representative of the PWDs
Ambrose Murangira began his career as a cobbler in his village in rural Uganda more than 20 years ago. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in social work and social administration from Makerere University in Kampala, as well as his master’s degree in social sector planning and management from Makerere University and the University of Zurich.
Ambrose Murangira is the Director of Disability Inclusion at Light for the World, a global disability and development organization headquartered in Uganda.
H.E Musa Kiyemba
The Guild President and Students Representative
H.E Musa Kiyemba was voted, the 35th Guild President of Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Musa is a 5th year medical student perusing a Bachelor’s in medicine and a Bachelor’s of surgery. Background Ancestrally, he was born in Katente village, Nkokonjeru in Kayunga to Mr. Mukasa Sowed Sserinyina and Mrs Komugisha Christine. Musa, on the 18th February, 2013 made it to Ntare School, one of Uganda’s top schools. This was for both his Ordinary level and his Advanced level. He was retained by the School after his Senior Six as a staff member in the library to be consulted by the students by then 15th August, 2019 saw him get into the gates of MUST officially as a student. Leadership has been part of Musa’s life story: He was a Head boy and Deputy in his primary school, a Junior Welfare Minister at Ntare School (O ‘level), and a Senior Welfare minister at the same School (A level). While at MUST: He has been an iconic activist for students’ issues and also a mental health activist. In 2021/2022 he became the GRC Gents’ Flat, a hall of residence for the gents. 2021/2022 Secretary-General for Mbarara University Government-sponsored Students’ Association 2022/2023 President for Mbarara University Muslim Students’ Association. 2022/2023 President of Mbarara District Muslim Students’ Association.
H.E Daisy Kankiriho
Vice Guild President and Students Representative
She was born in Rushere, Kiruhura district to the Late Brig. Patrick Kankiriho and Mrs. Deborah Kankiriho.
She went to Greenhill Academy pre-primary school to primary five. She later joined Kampala Parents’ School for primary six to primary seven. Her good grades led her to King’s College Buddo one of the top schools in Uganda, this was for her Ordinary level she later joined Vienna College Namugongo for her Advanced level.
Daisy has held various leadership positions such as the Head Girl at Kampala Parents School, Secretary for the Aviation Club, Class Representative of the Junior Debate, the speaker of the junior debate club, Vice President of Water and Sanitation Club, Vice President of the Cancer Club at king college Buddo.
While at MUST, she is the Vice President of Civil Engineering (CVE) Class, Prayer Secretary at St. Luke’s Chapel, GRC, CVE, and serves on the Kihumuro ladies’ hall committee as the Organizing Secretary.
Daisy’s enviable personality of people relations has positioned her to hold a number of leadership positions at MUST. This is not any different from what John Maxwell says “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them”. Congratulations Daisy.